Conquer The Net Ezine Issue 7

Jan.20, 2008 in Newsletter Archive

Hi,

Russ here. Welcome to another issue of the "Conquer The Net" ezine.

This issue includes…

1) "A Quick Adwords Overview"
2) "Marketing Freebie"
3) "60-Second Marketing Tip"
4) "Featured Article: Testing Your Way to Success!"
5) "Your PC Security Tip" - NEW feature this issue!
6) "Offline Marketing Strategies"
7) "Tell Me What You Think!"
8) "That’s A Wrap"

Remember, this and all other posts on this blog are available through the RSS reader of your choice. Why subscribe to my RSS feed? Because you may prefer receiving the posts in preview form via a well-formatted email. Then you can easily decide whether or not you want to click through to the blog to read specific posts in their entirety. Big efficiency builder…

Ok, now down to business.

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>>>>> A Quick Adwords Overview <<<<<
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Google Adwords is, at time of writing, the most popular pay-per-click advertising program on the internet. Including Adwords in your marketing strategy has many advantages, some of which are obvious and others are not.

First - your ad is displayed immediately, which means you get instant exposure for your product.

If you waited for your site to be listed in the search engines it could take months, and then you could be listed in position 682 on page 68, which of course would mean no one would even know your site existed.

With Adwords there is no waiting. Basically you can begin driving visitors to your site and making sales in as little as five minutes.

Second - your audience is highly targeted to your market.

With Adwords you are in complete control of exactly who gets to see your ads and who doesn’t through the keyword search terms you use in your campaign. You can choose to make your keyword phrases as tight or as broad as you want.

Naturally the more targeted you make your keywords the less traffic you will receive, but by doing this you know that your visitors will be laser targeted potential customers who are willing to fork out a few bucks to get what they want.

Third - Adwords allows you to run several campaigns simultaneously, so you can test the results and experiment on-the-fly to constantly improve the quality of your ads or sales copy to increase sales.

Testing is the one of the cornerstones of creating online success. The more you can test, track and tweak every element of your business, the more successful you will be.

With Adwords you can even track the "conversion rate," or the actual number of sales generated by your ad. This is precision marketing.

Now all these advantages are great, but if you’re promoting an affiliate product, there is one single element of your marketing strategy that you MUST implement to get the maximum benefit from your campaign…

If you’re sending your visitors to an affiliate website, make sure that your Adwords link takes your visitors to YOUR optin page first. This way you can first convince them to signup to your list BEFORE you send them to an external page.

Listen, you’ve done the hard work finding the right keywords. You’ve worked hard to set up your campaign. You’ve paid good money to grab their interest…

…so why on Earth would you simply send them to someone else’s page where that person can get their contact details so they can sell them a backend product at a later stage?

You get absolutely no benefit in doing this. So if you do nothing else, at the very minimum you must at least try to get them to on your list.

If you can get their details prior to forwarding them to an affiliate site, then if they don’t make a purchase you’ve still got a chance to make additional contact with them at a later stage to convince them to make a sale.

Whether or not you choose to use Adwords in your business strategy is up to you, but using this as part of your overall marketing can significantly improve your exposure… and your profits. So it’s worth considering.

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>>>>> Marketing Freebie <<<<<
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You’ll like this one…

Have you heard of Simon Hodgkinson and Jeremy Gislason?

They are the two masterminds behind several extremely successful membership sites, including Marketing Main Events I, II and III, SureFireWealth, Membership Millionaire, eListSecrets and the new MemberSpeed.

As a Marketing Main Event owner, I am authorized to allow free access for my subscribers to one of the sites I received through my membership.

So, here you go. Just click on this blue text link and get your gift: Learn To Earn Online Gift

There’s lots to learn, even in this free, $67 value membership. I hope you’ll go there, sign-up and absorb the information provided.

Enjoy!

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>>>>> 60 Second Marketing Tip <<<<<
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As you may already know, following up with your potential customers is the key to creating a solid online business.

And one the most effective ways of doing this is with a multi-part autoresponder (AR) series.

The problem is that not everyone is gifted with writing skills so they find it difficult to create a 7-10 part series. Well if this describes you, then I’ve got good news for you… you don’t have to!

All you need do is contact six other website owners and ask them to contribute one unique article each about your chosen topic. Allow them to each add their own resource box at the bottom of their article and then combine these with your own article to create a unique AR series.

Naturally you would allow all the website owners to send this AR series to their own lists and when this happens you have a captive audience much larger than your own list.

So not only are you building credibility by providing quality content, you are also getting additional exposure from the promotions of the other website owners.

This is an excellent strategy to build your list and to gain credibility without any extra work on your part.

This is not limited to autoresponder series. Several books that I know of have used such a technique.

Two in particular are "The E-Code" (softback) by Joe Vitale and Jo Han Mok, which includes writings from 33 collaborators; and the recently released "20 Ways To Make 100 Dollars a Day" (ebook) by Willie Crawford and 18 of his fellow Inner Circle members.

Use your imagination and think win-win and there’s virtually no limits to what you can do with shared expertise and a healthy sense of collaboration.

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>>>>>>>> Featured Article <<<<<<<<
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Testing Your Way to Success!

I’ll say this once, and once only. It is imperative that you continually track and test all aspects of your online business, including your ad or sales copy. Failure to do this results in loss of potential profits!

In order to create the most effective ad copy for your business you need to experiment with whatever it is you are testing.

For example, if you are testing and tracking your sales copy you should start by changing and testing different versions of the headline, or tweaking the design or altering the layout of the page. And most importantly, you need to be tracking your advertising.

The only way you can measure the results of your testing is to track all your changes, so naturally you should be implementing ways you can do this, such as using tracking software or something similar. More on this in a minute…

Ok, now that you know the importance of testing and tracking, let’s look at how you can do this.

Changing the Copy…

As already mentioned above, the most important part of any ad or sales copy is the heading or headline. So the first thing you should test is the headline.

Try using different key words in your headline. Just changing a single word can have a significant effect on the response rate. Use different emotional trigger words to see which combination is most effective.

It really is as simple as testing different versions to find the most effective wording. You may be surprised at how a small change can sometimes have a major impact on your results.

You could even add a video or audio to your site to see if this increases results. With video and audio becoming so popular this is a no-brainer and you definitely be testing this to see if it works on your site.

Tweaking the Design…

Studies have proven that simple things such as the type of font you use on your pages can influence the decisions of readers. So knowing this you need to test even the smallest of details such as using different font styles, font sizes and font colors.

Emphasize important words and phrases by placing them in italics, or making them bold, or sparingly using underlining or highlighting important phrases. Add a border, a different border color and/or a different border style.

Here’s a big tip that most people are unaware of… header images can reduce your profits!

That’s right. Tests that have been conducted with and without header images using the exact same sales copy, the exact same design, the exact same product. Nothing else was changed, yet on most occasions the page without the header outperformed the page with the header.

Your own results may prove different, and maybe the product you’re promoting is better suited to having a header image. But until you test, you will never know. It just may be that you are leaving profits on the table without even knowing it.

Try different combinations of all these things to find out which combination works best.

Altering the layout…

Rearrange the components of your page to see if it affects the response rate. Add a short testimonial or two to see if that has any effect. Try adding more than one order link. You could even test different navigation links to see if this makes a difference.

Here’s one that you may never have thought of…

If you have a squeeze page (also known as a portal, gateway, opt-in or lead capture page) - which you should have - try adding more than one subscription box on the page.

Our tests have proven that strategically adding a box above the fold of the page, as well as at the bottom of the page, significantly increased opt-in rates.

Test this on your own pages and you may just be surprised with your results.

Tracking Your Advertising…

It is of utmost importance that you track the response rate for any adverting, without exception. As a successful online marketer you need to know where you get the biggest bang-for-your-buck.

Once you find a source that gives you good results, it’s just a matter of repeating and improving the whole process. But unless you know what results you are achieving, this is not possible.

In order to maximize your profits you need to know what works and what doesn’t. You need to know what components of your ad copy works and which don’t. You need to know where your traffic is coming from.

You may get traffic from an ezine ad, from a forum post and from a banner ad. One of these sources may bring you a significant amount of traffic, but if you’re not tracking them how will you know which of these you need to focus on so that you can repeat the process?

The bottom line is that you can only find this out by testing and tracking. And as only about 1% of your competitors are testing and tracking their online business, you will have the edge over the other 99% of marketers.

Oh, and here’s the good news. You don’t have to shell out the big bucks to get the tools you need to test and track. Our online friend, Google, has generously provided everything you need to be miles ahead of the average guy or gal trying to "make it" on the web.

Just get an account (if you don’t already have one) and head to their "Webmaster Tools" section.

There, they have two kinds of testing available - simple split or A-B testing, and Taguchi or multivariate testing. A-B testing is best for junior marketers/webmasters and Taguchi testing is probably more applicable to seasoned marketers.

Either version is easy to use, with plenty of tutorial help available. So don’t get spooked by technology you haven’t used before. At one time or another, EVERYONE was new to this stuff!

And while you’re there, get yourself into their "Analytics" section and get the tracking code you can paste into the code of the webpages you want to monitor or track.

Shortly afterwards, you’ll have access to your own website’s stats and then you’ll KNOW where your traffic is coming from, etc.

In short order, you’ll be testing and tracking like the Big Dogs without being a propeller head or paying a single dime of your hard-earned…

Go forth and conquer!

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>>>>> Your PC Security Tip <<<<<
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This is a NEW feature beginning with this issue. One of your fellow subscribers to "Conquer The Net", Syd Tash, has generously volunteered to contribute these tips for your education and safety. Thanks Syd! Ok, so here’s your first tip:

Always practice safe surfing! Here is a little checklist to help keep you safe online. Print it out and stick it on the wall beside your computer. I assume you have an anti-virus program, a firewall and anti-spyware programs, at least.

Daily:
1. As soon as you turn on your computer for the day, and before you start surfing the Internet, update your anti-virus program, or check that it updates itself automatically.

2. When you have finished surfing for the day, or after installing new software, run one of your anti-spyware programs.

3. Carefully and fully read every End User License Agreement (EULA). If you see something like “The vendor/publisher may install third party software” hit the delete button (hard!) or cancel the download. Or at least run all your security scans after installation.

Weekly:
1. Once a week, update your anti-spyware programs, as well as Windows. If you have kids who surf the Net and play games online, do it more often.

2. Watch for updates to your firewall. These are infrequent, so check your email, or check in the firewall program to see if it is up to date.

Get a custom HOSTS file. Read what it is and does, and get one, here: http://www.mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm It’s free.

And finally, don’t open spam email or unexpected attachments, avoid phishing scams and public computers, try not to download anything from the web, back up important files, do not ignore warnings and alerts from your security programs and above all, use common sense on the web. Whew!

Syd Tash is a noted computer security consultant and author of “How to Protect Your Computer Online, A Complete Guide”. He has been keeping surfers safe since the last century. Find more popular free Daily Tips & information on Syd’s blog: => http://www.MyPCProtectionBlog.com

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>>>>> Off-Line Marketing Strategies <<<<<
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How to Write an Effective Printed Newsletter!

Printed newsletters are a really easy way to contact your prospective and current customers. They can even increase your sales while reducing advertising costs. A printed newsletter also has a much higher perceived value and is more likely to be passed around to prospective customers.

Research shows newsletters get four times the readership of adverts or brochures, and customers are seven times more likely to buy from you than an average member of the public.

A good newsletter can improve name recognition and brand awareness, establish your authority in your field and differentiate your business from the competition.

Make the layout of your newsletter inviting. If it contains long-winded paragraphs it may seem hard work to read. Break up the copy with plenty of space and keep articles short.

Use intriguing titles or ones that suggest the article provides quick and easy shortcuts. Also use photographs or images on the cover to draw people’s attention.

Choose your articles carefully so that each one promotes the correct image of your business. Decide whether the article is to reflect your expertise, customer care or some other aspect of your business.

If you are not sure which areas are important and of interest to your customers slip a survey into your newsletter and ask your readers what it is they want to know. Let’s face it, they’re the one’s most qualified to tell you what it is they need to know.

Get a balance between generic articles that would be of interest to your wider client base and those specifically about your products and services. But don’t forget to check that the views expressed in articles are unlikely to offend your customer base.

Try to keep copy simple and as jargon free as possible. Use short sentences. Involve the reader by asking questions. How could your business benefit from this advice?

A profile of a customer can show how your product or service is used, the results that it can produce, why someone would purchase from you, and what they are planning to do in the future with your assistance. If they are prestigious clients the article will give a positive reflection of your business as well as providing them with some useful and free PR.

It has been proven that off-line marketing has a higher success rate than that its online equivalent. Yes, cost can be higher than traditional online marketing and this is why many people do not use this strategy. But if you can afford the extra expense, it is not unusual to have a high conversion rate, so the extra costs may be justified.

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>>>>> Tell Me What You Think <<<<<
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This is your chance to speak out.

Comment on articles I’ve run in Conquer The Net, give me your thoughts on changes or your ad testing results or questions relating to your business, etc.

In other words, just talk to me about what you think I need to do to improve the ezine.

Also, if you’d like to guest-write an article, please let me know. Fresh new content is always welcome and who knows, you might get noticed by more people that way…

Be sure to include your website address too, because if I use your comments in a future issue of the ezine, I’ll thank you by posting your address so that you can get additional free traffic to your site!

Simply click on the About Me link and a form will open that you can use to privately contact me.

Of course, if you don’t need privacy, you can also post your comments and questions right here on the blog, right below this issue.

Be sure to include your website address too, because your comment post could very well drive traffic to your site, too.

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>>>>> That’s a Wrap for this Issue <<<<<
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Be sure to stop by frequently and also consider subscribing to my RSS feed (big orange button) so that you can keep up to date on all the latest happenings.

Especially since email delivery rates are so unpredictable…

Be well,

Russ Guthrie
Gu3 Virtual Marketing
Publisher, "Conquer The Net" ezine
http://russguthrie.com

Recommend "Conquer The Net" ezine to your friends. Subscription requests should be sent to:

http://russguthrie.com/HelpsYou/ConquerTheNet

PS: You may be wondering what happened to the "Writing Tips". I haven’t discontinued them. Whenever I see trends, I’ll let you know. Honestly though, I could write a book on proper English usage, based on all the things I see. But wait, lots of people already wrote books like that… (d;)